Courage
by This Seraphim
Summary: Sometimes, all it takes is a little courage and a bright star to make a wish come true. One shot Kaji x Ayu. The author's first one shot and UM fic.


Author's note: The plot for this piece was adapted from "Courage," a story I read in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. For two years this has been accumulating digital dust in my hard drive, and today I decided to clean it up and post it. Comments and reviews would be much appreciated.

Disclaimer: Kaji, Ayu, the Daily Garden and _Sports Illustrated _are not mine.

**Courage**

By This Seraphim

Tetsushi Kaji sighed for the nth time that night.

At that moment, he was waiting in line at the Daily Garden, with a pint of milk, a liter of soda, a bag of chips, heads of broccoli, a pack of tofu, and a copy of _Sports Illustrated _crammed in his arms.

His mother had dispatched him to shop for the groceries earlier that night, and reluctantly he got up from the couch eager to get back in time for the baseball game he wanted to watch on TV.

And so he waited in line at the Daily Garden, tapping his foot impatiently and gritting his teeth like there was no tomorrow.

Finally it was his turn, and in a flash he whipped out his wallet and slammed a few bills on the countertop.

The clerk looked flustered but kept his cool, mumbling a little about long days and rude customers.

A sudden movement to his right caught Kaji's eye, and he turned to see none other than his classmate, Ayu Tateishi.

His eyes widened. The clerk finished wrapping up his purchases and carefully Kaji took the plastic bag, giving the clerk a smile and a warm "Thank you" before stepping out of the line.

The clerk's eyebrow shot up, but he simply dismissed it as a strange case of schizophrenia on Kaji's part.

Kaji approached the object of his affection, a slow reluctance in his gait and a visible glow in his eyes.

"Tateishi," he greeted calmly, and with a warm smile pasted on his face. Thrilled as he was, Kaji tried not to sound too eager.

Ayu turned around and as she did so, her long locks swayed, lending Kaji a whiff of her apple shampoo.

It may have just been a figment of his imagination, but he saw an exhilarated glow in her grey eyes.

"Kaji-kun," she greeted back, her tone formal and collected.

Kaji cringed inwardly as his ears wallowed in the stiffness of her tone. "Came to shop?"

_Duh, dimwit. Of course she came to shop!_

She nodded slowly. "I see you've been shopping too."

He grinned. "Okasan's orders."

She smiled back.

There came the silence of two people who wanted to talk more, but couldn't find the right words to say.

"So what were you going to get?" Kaji finally ventured.

"Eh? Oh right…" She fumbled through her purse, trying to find a shopping list she wasn't even sure she had made. After a while, she let out a sigh and said, "It seems I forgot what I came here for." She laughed the high-pitched laugh of a nervous, lovestruck girl.

He seemed a bit startled but just smiled. He was sure he would forget his mother's orders if Ayu had come in before he stepped in the queue.

Ayu looked away and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Are you going anywhere else?"

"Well…I guess…" She sighed and her shoulders slumped a bit. "…I guess not anymore. I might as well go home already."

"Can I walk you home?" he asked suddenly.

Ayu could feel a mad sweep of red creeping up her cheeks. "Wo – walk me home?"

"I meant walk home _with _you," he added hastily, looking to the side to obscure the blush creeping up his own cheeks. "You know, for company."

Ponderous silence.

"And you can really never be too sure around this area, can you?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "Sure."

He smiled back, opening the door for her. "Ladies first," he added.

She smiled again.

The stillness of night was broken only by the pounding of their feet on the pavement and the hooting of an owl in the distance.

"Ano…Kaji-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Do you believe in wishing? You know, on stars?"

"Eh?" he asked, a bit bewildered. He shook his head.

"Oh, you don't?" she prompted, her face falling.

Kaji was taken aback. "It's not that I don't believe. I just…never tried, I guess."

She smiled. "Oh."

Silence.

"Why don't you try it tonight?"

"Eh?"

"Wishing," she explained briefly, pointing a dainty finger to the sky. "See those stars? Just pick one out and wish for whatever you want the most."

"Whatever I want…the most?" he parroted.

She nodded briskly. "That's right," she said with a smile.

Both his eyebrows leapt with surprise.

_I don't _do _wishes on stars_. _But if that would get me what I want the most, then maybe…_

Kaji took a quick glance at the girl walking beside him and smiled.

…_it's worth a shot._

He scanned the sky for a good star (why he had to pick one out, he did not know) and made his wish.

_She is such a perfect girl_, he mused with eyes shut tight.

_She brings out my good side, that part of me I never even knew existed._

_A rotten fake like me doesn't deserve someone like her. A single smile from her lips brightens up a dreary day. The grace by which she moved is fantastic, and the cool and calm aura she exudes is just –_

Whoa – hold that thought.

_Was that even _English_ back there? _

Kaji chuckled inwardly. _She's the only girl I'd ever do that for. _Ever.

A sweet voice interrupted his thoughts, asking him what he wished for.

"Courage," the young man replied.

"Courage?" Ayu repeated, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side. "What for?"

"For this," Kaji replied, taking her by the hand and inching his face closer to hers…

…until their lips touched.

He heard her gasp, but he dared not open his eyes to see her face. Kaji found his arms circling her waist, drawing her even closer than she already was to him.

Like in all climactic moments, it seemed as though time had stopped for both of them. A passing gust of wind seemed to murmur her approval at the couple.

Kaji's eyelids fluttered open, and he beheld the only girl he had always loved. Her eyes were closed. For an instant, he relished being this close to her – possibly for the last time.

And that was it.

He pulled away from the kiss, though he wrapped Ayu in a silent embrace. With one last squeeze, Kaji let go of her, and what friendship they have built over the years. And that was it.

The boy knew this could either take a turn for the better or for the worse. She could be harboring a secret like for me too, but what were the odds of that? It seemed more likely for her to demand distance between them from now on.

_She'd move away._

_She'd be appalled at me and my user-friendly ways._

_She'd shiver at the prospect of her lips ever touching mine._

Kaji took a couple of deep breaths. A shadow hovered over half his face, obscuring his hazel eyes from view.

"I'm sorry, Tateishi," was all he could say.

Her almost-inaudible sobs filled the air like the bits of an unfinished love song.

"I just – I'm so sorry."

Now at a loss for words, Kaji spun on his heels and stopped abruptly. He held his breath and took a step.

And another one.

And another one.

And –

"Kaji-kun?" Ayu called out, her voice soft but clear.

He stopped. Tears threatened to stream down her flushed cheeks.

"I guess we're lucky tonight," she continued, carefully making her way towards him.

Kaji turned around; his heart was throbbing with much hope and great apprehension.

"Both our wishes came true."


End file.
